Student Melissa Hong, UT in D.C./Archer Fellow,
Interns at UNIC

April 3, 2009

AUSTIN, Texas - School of Social Work Senior Melissa Hong is one of 10 undergraduate students selected by The University of Texas System to study and intern in Washington, D.C., during the spring 2009 semester as part of the UT in D.C./Archer Program.

The UT in D.C./Archer Program was founded to support qualified UT System undergraduates in the pursuit of noble public service in the tradition of the program's namesake, former U.S. Representative Bill Archer. The program gives undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in a unique combination of academic and experiential learning in the nation's capital.

Hong, the 2008-2009 recipient of the Bonny Gardner Social Justice Award, a School of Social Work scholarship, is pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work. She is also in The University of Texas at Austin Bridging Disciplines Program, concentrating on Social Entrepreneurship & Nonprofits and Social Inequality, Health, & Policy. Hong's passions are human rights, social justice, and social change. She has spearheaded advocacy campaigns on campus, such as World AIDS Week, A Night of A Thousand Dinners for landmine clearance, and an Anti-Human Trafficking Campaign.

Hong has worked with diverse populations through internships with local non-profits in Austin, including Refugee Services of Texas, SafePlace, RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service, and The Settlement Home for Children.

As an Archer Fellow, Hong is one of five students selected from over 100 applicants this semester to intern with the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), the UN's office in Washington, D.C. UNIC serves as the focal point for UN news and information to advance understanding of the UN and its work, and to serve as a resource for United States government officials, NGOs, civil-society organizations and the American people.

UNIC interns have a broad range of responsibilities that include everything from representing the office at Washington events to fielding public inquiries. As part of the program, interns attend Capitol Hill hearings and NGO/think tank briefings on a variety of international subjects. Another facet of the internship program involves monitoring international and regional news for UNIC.

For more information, contact:
Dr. Rowena Fong,
Ruby Lee Piester Centennial Professor in Services to Children and Families and BSW Director,
(512) 471-1393
rfong@mail.utexas.edu